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Carlisle race to bring in worldwide competition

All-terrain vehicle racers from more than four countries and 27 states will be lining up in Carlisle this weekend for the ninth annual Heartland Challenge presented by PowerMadd.

Andy Kyner, who organizes the event each year, said he’s expecting 175 to 200 teams, or 400 to 600 riders for the two-day event.

The first race starts at about 3 p.m. Friday with the Polaris Ace Race, Kyner said. The single-seed race features vehicles that look like an ATV but have roll cages.

Kyner said they’re a relatively new product so there won’t be many racers, but said it will feature Jesi Strachman.

Strachman, of South Carolina, was paralyzed from the waist down in a freak motorcycle accident in January. She raced ATVs nationally before the accident and the ace race lets Jesi compete because she can control the vehicle using only her hands.

The second race is one of the biggest races of the weekend — the UTV race.

UTVs are a two-person vehicle.

Kyner said the race will go from 7 p.m. until about 11 p.m.

“They will go through timber, go over jumps and it takes them over the tower of terror,” Kyner said. “If they take the short cut they may not make it through, but if they do they’ll save about a minute on their time.”

He said he expects to have between 60 and 75 entries in the UTV race, including factory teams from Polaris and Kawasaki.

Saturday’s races start at 8 a.m. with a kids race.

It’s the only place in the country that does a team race for kids, Kyner said.

The weekend’s biggest race starts at 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 20.

“They only do this one other place in the world, and that’s in France,” Kyner said. “We line all the ATVs up on the side of the pit line and the riders will line up on the other side across from their four-wheeler.

“When we hit the air horn they run across, jump on their machines — and keep in mind there’s 150 of these starting at one time,” Kyner said.

The race lasts for 10 hours so Kyner said teams can include up to three people.

He said some racers will ride the whole 10 hours themselves.

The race is held near the intersection of S23 Highway and Iowa Highway 5. It’s east of Carlisle by about two miles and then north over the railroad tracks.

A $20 wristband will get onlookers in for the whole weekend.

Kyner said this is an especially fun place because there’s no designated area to watch the race from. Onlookers can go in the timber and watch the ATVs during the most difficult parts of competition.

It’s basically an all-access pass, Kyner said.

There will be food for sale at the stadium, but beer will not be sold.

Kyner said he and his wife decided to start the race in Carlisle because he used to race ATVs and decided it might be cheaper to host his own race rather than travel all around the country.

He’s kept it going with the help of some friends such as Brad Murphy of Norwalk, Paul Serck from Norwalk, Tom and Josh Jones of Milo, Chris Sprouse from Carlisle and a pair of helpers from Milo who he just calls Sherman and Sheldon.

GBC Motorsports is the main event sponsor. They donate almost $25,000 to the event annually.